Serena Williams spoke for millions of disappointed Olympic fans as she made a distraught face during the opening ceremony.
The tennis star looked lackluster as she cruised down the River Seine in a high-speed boat as a torchbearer for the Paris Games.
She was joined by Rafael Nadal, nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis and former Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci as they made their way through pouring rain and choppy waters.
The boat was part of a four-hour ceremony centered on the river in the French capital and was moving so fast that Nadal feared the flame might be extinguished.
Tennis star Serena Williams suddenly looked distressed as she plunged into the River Seine.
Spectators watching the opening ceremony commented that Williams seemed to feel like many others.
Some speculated that the tennis champion looked like she was about to vomit while riding in the boat.
Williams appeared to be enjoying the ride as she waved to fans, but suddenly gasped for air and had to quickly grab onto Comancei to keep herself stable.
People who saw the footage of the four-time Olympic gold medalist commented that they thought she looked sick and resembled how people felt when watching the controversial opening.
One person said online: “This is how the rest of us felt watching it.”
Someone else said online: ‘I hated it as much as everyone else!’
Another joked: “She watched the rest of the opening ceremony.”
Rafael Nadal of the Spanish team, former American tennis player Serena Williams, American track athlete Carl Lewis and Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci carry the torch on a boat along the River Seine.
The Olympic ceremony has been mired in controversy, with some calling it the “worst ever.”
One social media user said: “A lot of the audience felt sick too.”
Another said: “What a disgrace for France that opening ceremony was. The French people must be furious.”
Another person added: “I thought Serena was going to get sick.”
And another person said: “Yeah, the whole thing was disgusting.”
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics has come under fire from critics who called it “the worst ever” due to poor audio caused by near-torrential rain and some joked online that organisers should “stop the boats”.
At one point, as the long line of boats filled with athletes moved down the Seine, an embarrassing moment occurred when the announcers labeled South Korea as North Korea.
As the South Korean delegation sailed down the Seine River, they were introduced to North Korea’s official name: “Republique populaire democratique de Coree” in French, then “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” in English.
The IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account: “We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony.”
Serena Williams laughs and looks happy before being handed the Olympic torch for the opening ceremony.
Serena Williams attends the red carpet ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched as 6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos tried to keep their spirits high as they travelled down the River Seine in a huge flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances by Lady Gaga and some 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors were difficult to hear over the sound of rain, and spectators called it “the worst Olympic opening ceremony in living memory.”
But among the various artistic paintings, named after French values such as liberty, fraternity and equality, it was the depiction in the style of the Last Supper in the atmosphere of “festivité” (or party) that caused the most controversy.
Complete with models, dancers, fashion icons and drag queens from the host country, the performance took place on a bridge over the capital’s river around a table that also served as a catwalk.
Other bizarre moments saw a singer dressed as a headless Marie Antoinette.
One element of the opening ceremony that was turned into a catwalk and stage was criticized by some Christians for allegedly parodying the Last Supper.
An artist painted blue and covered in flowers and fruit, representing the Greek god Dionysus, sang in French.
In the center was a woman in front of a DJ set wearing a gold halo-style crown, surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
Some people accused the organizers of creating a “woke” parody of the Last Supper, a painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Jesus’ final meal with his disciples.
Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and SpaceX, who has been criticized for his conservative beliefs, including toward his own daughter, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Christianity has become toothless.”
Later in the show, the strangest moment of the night saw a giant plate adorned with fake fruit and other food with a ‘smurf’ resting among them.
The man, dressed in a tight-fitting blue suit that left very little to the imagination, was dressed as the Greek god of wine, partying and theatre, Dionysus.
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